Counting down to Silversea’s Silver Muse

The confirmation on my ticket says it all: Voyage 6701, Opening Cruise. The first-ever sailing of Silversea’s newest ultra-luxury cruise ship and its first newbuild in seven years: the 596-guest Silver Muse sets sail from Genoa, Italy on Monday, April 3, 2017 and heads for Barcelona, Spain. Onboard: a full house of corporate employees, travel agents, and industry writers. And yours truly.

Silver Muse completes her sea trials off the coast of Italy in February, 2017. Photo courtesy of Silversea

To fully celebrate this new ship, I’ll have full day-by-day coverage here on From the Deck Chair, running from Monday, April 3 to Friday, April 7. Although there are a handful of ports lined up (a morning call in Marseille, France and a full-day stop in Tarragona, Spain), this report will be a little different in that the ports will be taking a backseat to the ship – which is, after all, the reason I’m flying over 10,000 kilometres to Europe in the first place.

You can also follow along on “the Twitter”, where I’ll be posting live photo updates periodically of the ship and the trip. The last time I saw her, she was but a single keel block at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Genoa. Now, she’s about to set sail.

Silversea’s first ship since the 540-guest Silver Spirit debuted in late 2009, Silver Muse expands and tweaks that platform substantially. While the ship’s general arrangement remains largely the same, Silversea is introducing a brand-new dining concept onboard Silver Muse, eliminating the large (and typically under-used) main Restaurant in favour of smaller, more intimate venues with fixed menus.

Suites will feature a new look and more technological advancements. Silversea is also adding a huge number of its best-selling Silver Suites (which I personally feel are still some of the best suites afloat). These 786-square foot (73m2) marvels will now span Decks 9, 10 and 11.

The new Arts Cafe will feature a book collection curated by Heywood Hill. Rendering courtesy of Silversea.

Of course, Silver Muse will still feature the larger Grand and Royal Suites at the forward end of the ship, as well as standard and deluxe verandah accommodations that are slightly larger aboard Silver Muse than those on the line’s previous ships.

From the deck plans, it seems like Silversea has taken the best of Silver Spirit and made it better. The Observation Lounge returns to the forward end of the ship above the navigation bridge, while the popular Panorama Lounge – always a great place for a sailaway cocktail and evening dancing – returns to its commanding location on Deck 9 aft. And, in a fun nod to Viking Cruises naming one of its oceangoing eateries after Silversea’s chairman, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio (Manfredi’s), the Observation Lounge will be named after Viking Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen (Tor’s Observation Library).

Dolce Vita, the new iteration of the traditional venue known as The Bar. Rendering courtesy of Silversea.

But the line has found time to make existing features better. It has introduced a new Arts Café concept that will house an onboard library that has been custom-curated for Silversea by literary institution Heywood Hill. At night, the café-and-library will become another intimate lounge, the perfect place for a nightcap. That it is located next door to the Connoisseur’s Corner, with its vintage cognacs and scotch, means that I’ll be spending a lot of time on Deck 8 aft during my four days onboard!

Barbara Muckermann, Chief Marketing Officer at Silversea Cruises, said: “Like Silversea, the Heywood Hill brand stands for quality, expertise, and personalization, so we are thrilled to have them curate Silver Muse’s library. We’re excited to offer guests the all-new Arts Café, which promises to be the ideal space for kicking back with a book, enjoying a cocktail or catching up with friends over a coffee.”

Silver Muse will build upon the platform pioneered by the 2009 Silver Spirit, but with larger suites and additional amenities. Illustration courtesy of Silversea

Also new for Silver Muse: the new Zagara Spa; a vastly modified main show lounge; a new iteration of the popular Stars Supper Club that first debuted on Silver Spirit, which will now be known as Silver Note; and an expanded version of The Bar on Deck 5, which now spans twice the deck space and is known as Dolce Vita.

So come along with us as we see what makes the new Silver Muse tick on this special four-day opening voyage from Genoa to Barcelona! And if you have questions about anything onboard, let me know – I’ll do my best to answer them.